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IMDbPro

Rutina Wesley

  • Actress
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,000547
Rutina Wesley at an event for Scream Awards 2009 (2009)
Watch Queen Sugar--Official Trailer
Play trailer2:03
Queen Sugar (2016–2022)
34 Videos
99+ Photos
Rutina Wesley is known for the character Tara Thorton, on the gritty Southern vampire drama, True Blood (2008). She was born in the city most renowned for glitz and glamour, Las Vegas, Nevada and was exposed to the arts at a very early age; in fact entertainment runs through her veins. Her father, Ivery Wheeler, is a noted tap dancer while her mother, Cassandra Wesley, performed on the Vegas strip as a showgirl. Rutina studied dance for years then earned an undergraduate degree in Theatre Performance from the University of Evansville in Indiana. She had the good fortune to be accepted by the acclaimed Julliard School. During Rutina's stint at Julliard, she was fortunate enough to spend a summer at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Fortune was with Rutina again when one of her Julliard classmates, Nelsan Ellis, reconnected with her when he became her co-star on True Blood (2008).

After leaving Julliard, Rutina was cast in the Broadway production of a David Hare play, "The Vertical Hour" opposite Bill Nighy. Rutina followed "The Vertical Hour" with an appearance in the Public Theater production, "In Darfur". Her small role in the hit movie, Hitch (2005), was cut from the completed film but that did not deter her from pursuing her dream. She made another big-screen appearance, this time in the dance melodrama How She Move (2007). She also guest starred on the hit television show Numb3rs (2005); however, her break came when she signed onto the HBO production, True Blood (2008).

True Blood (2008) is adapted from the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire literary series by Charlaine Harris and conceived for the small screen by Alan Ball of American Beauty (1999) and Six Feet Under (2001). Rutina's portrayal of Tara Thornton, a character whose caustic tongue and tough manner conceal her vulnerability, helped make True Blood (2008) a cult hit. The success of True Blood (2008) shocked naysayers when the vampire soap opera became a favorite of both critics and audiences alike. We'll be seeing more of Rutina in 2010 when True Blood (2008) returns for its third season.
BornDecember 21, 1978
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornDecember 21, 1978
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,000547
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Awards

Photos145

Anna Paquin, Ryan Kwanten, and Rutina Wesley in True Blood (2008)
Rutina Wesley and Amelia Rose Blaire in True Blood (2008)
Kelly Hu, Rutina Wesley, Amy Gumenick, and Juliana Harkavy in Arrow (2012)
Rutina Wesley in Arrow (2012)
Kelly Hu, Rutina Wesley, and Amy Gumenick in Arrow (2012)
Rutina Wesley in Queen Sugar (2016)
Rutina Wesley in Queen Sugar (2016)
Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Rutina Wesley, and Kofi Siriboe in Queen Sugar (2016)
Rutina Wesley and Kofi Siriboe in Queen Sugar (2016)
Rutina Wesley in Queen Sugar (2016)
Dawn-Lyen Gardner and Rutina Wesley in Queen Sugar (2016)
Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Rutina Wesley, and Kofi Siriboe in Queen Sugar (2016)

Known for

Anna Paquin, Ryan Kwanten, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Nelsan Ellis, and Rutina Wesley in True Blood (2008)
True Blood
7.9
TV Series
  • Tara Thornton
Queen Sugar (2016)
Queen Sugar
7.8
TV Series
  • Nova Bordelon
Mark Webber in 13 Sins (2014)
13 Sins
6.3
  • Shelby
  • 2014
Stephen Amell in Arrow (2012)
Arrow
7.5
TV Series
  • Liza Warner

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Moments
    • Post-production
  • Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in Long Long Time (2023)
    The Last of Us
  • Queen Sugar (2016)
    Queen Sugar
  • Benjamin Bratt, Rosario Dawson, Hoon Lee, and Freddy Miyares in DMZ (2022)
    DMZ
  • Outsiders (2021)
    Outsiders
  • Stucco (2019)
    Stucco
  • Live and Let Die: The Radio Play (2019)
    Live and Let Die: The Radio Play
    • (voice)
  • Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lauren Cohan, and Michael James Shaw in The Walking Dead (2010)
    The Walking Dead
  • Rutina Wesley and LeBaron Foster Thornton in Last Looks (2017)
    Last Looks
  • Stephen Amell in Arrow (2012)
    Arrow
  • Lauren Ambrose in Broad Squad (2015)
    Broad Squad
  • Morris Chestnut, Sanaa Lathan, and Michael Ealy in The Perfect Guy (2015)
    The Perfect Guy
  • Mads Mikkelsen in Hannibal (2013)
    Hannibal
  • Anna Paquin, Ryan Kwanten, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Nelsan Ellis, and Rutina Wesley in True Blood (2008)
    True Blood
  • Last Weekend (2014)
    Last Weekend
  • Mark Webber in 13 Sins (2014)
    13 Sins

Producer

  • 2 Dollars (2020)
    2 Dollars
  • Rutina Wesley and LeBaron Foster Thornton in Last Looks (2017)
    Last Looks

Videos34

How She Move
Clip 1:13
How She Move
How She Move
Clip 0:38
How She Move
How She Move
Clip 1:22
How She Move
How She Move
Clip 0:38
How She Move
How She Move
Clip 1:04
How She Move
How She Move
Clip 1:27
How She Move
How She Move
Clip 1:07
How She Move
How She Move
Clip 1:11
How She Move
How She Move
Clip 1:38
How She Move
How She Move
Interview 0:40
How She Move
How She Move
Interview 0:50
How She Move
Queen Sugar--Official Trailer
Trailer 2:03
Queen Sugar--Official Trailer

Personal details

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    • December 21, 1978
    • Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
    • Jacob FishelJune 5, 2005 - 2014 (divorced)
  • Other works
    (11/06) Stage: Appeared (as "Terri Scholes") in "The Vertical Hour" play by David Hare on Broadway. Music Box Theater, New York City.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Interviews
    • 1 Article
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Earned her BFA degree in Theatre Performance from the University of Evansville (Class of '01) in Evansville, Indiana.
  • Quotes
    I'm in a comic book now. That was cool. That's something that I'm still sorta reeling about, 'cause I read comics as a kid. Someone drew me, and actually did a pretty good job!
    • Has the best chin-quiver in show business

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